Ecological Management Flashcards

Symbiosis is a close association between two organisms where one or both benefit. Each member is called a symbiont.

Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.

Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit from the association.

Examples include legumes with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and termites with protozoans in their gut.

Commensalism is a relationship where one species benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Examples include epiphytes on trees and certain bacteria in the human gut.

Parasitism is a relationship where the parasite benefits at the expense of the host.

Ectoparasites are parasites that live on the surface of the host, such as ticks and lice.

Endoparasites live inside the host's body, like tapeworms, roundworms, and malaria parasites.

Competition is a relationship where two or more organisms require the same resources, leading to competition.

Organisms may compete for food, water, sunlight, shelter, and space.

Predation involves one organism (predator) hunting, killing, and consuming another organism (prey).

Examples include lions preying on antelopes and hawks hunting mice.

Tolerance is the ability of organisms to withstand minor unfavorable environmental changes.

Biotic factors, like plants and animals, interact with abiotic factors, like temperature and rainfall, influencing each other.

Tolerance range is the minimum and maximum environmental conditions an organism can survive within.

If exposed beyond their tolerance range, organisms may face physiological stress or even death.

Geographical tolerance is the area within which a species can survive, based on its tolerance range.

Biogeography is the study of the geographical distribution of species and ecosystems in relation to environmental factors.